3Sisters

@ChrisP These area all great questions. I have been looking into some cruises that embark from Southampton, but I never got as far as to dig into these travel details. I'm curious to read others responses who have cruised out of this port in the past. The drive isn't too terrible; it looks like an hour and change. I would consider the bus system and then booking an Uber to the hotel of your choice. You could always Uber the entire way from the airport in Heathrow to your hotel in Southhampton. The best idea would probably be to decide when you land. I would check the cost of the Uber for the entire drive but also be ready to hop on the bus with the schedules in mind. Convenience would likely Uber, but I'm sure the bus situation would be more economical. It will be less hassle to just Uber directly and splurge a bit. Based on other's comments, I would not rent a car and drive yourself. Apparently parking and traffic in Southampton is costly and hard to come by. I have also looked into the Moxy hotel and it looks like a good option close to the port.

@Amythest2112 You may be on to something actually! I bet Kroger does private label Turkey Hill ice cream. I wonder which wholesaler my local grocer private labels. I have seen Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream at Target! I haven't tried it solely due to the price, but now that you are sharing how good it is, I'm going to have to give it a try. Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream is a relatively new option I think. I wonder if it would be the next big ice cream wholesaler for this cruise line! I love Haagen Dazs too; it's a classic. I don't think it could ever go out of style.

@Willie It would be cool if you could book an excursion as a singles group! I'm sure it would be difficult to get everyone onboard to book the same excursions for every port, but maybe a few of you could agree on one or two. I am planning a family cruise for early 2026! I just cruised last month and hoping to possibly squeeze another in 2025, just haven't decided when and where yet. In 2025 I have a few on land obligations and celebrations that will take precedence over a cruise next year, but I still have intentions of squeezing one in. Do you have any other cruises planned other than this exciting singles cruise?

@FJB I like you pun, "barring cruise ships." It's not the end of the world. Ideally, every port around the world would be cruiser friendly, but it's alright that that isn't the case. I want to cruise where I'm welcome. There are plenty of other cruise spots out there. @LukeJ To your point, Bar Harbor is still welcoming cruise ships! It's not like they are banned entirely, although that could obviously change.

@Willie That's very impressive! You are a pretty avid cruiser. I have heard wonderful things about Princess Cruises, but I have yet to cruise with the line. I can't wait to hear about what your experience is like as a first-timer with Princess Cruises. Have you done a singles cruise with another line in the past? You will have a blast in the Eastern Caribbean with many singles ready to have a good time! As long as you are able to avoid hurricanes, this itinerary in June should be a great one. Usually the hurricane season starts off slow, and you will be towards the beginning of the season anyhow. Thanks for explaining how the whole single cruise works. I thought that the entire ship would be filled with singles, which sounds pretty fun! I can only imagine the group will be so lively and adventurous. Will any of the singles group be booking excursions together?

@Woody14 The Sound of Music sing along just has me cracking up. I'm picturing a cruise crew doing a sing along to these songs and I can't do it without laughing. You surely travel with a wholesome group. Are you a Sound of Music singer? As a person who doesn't participate in the nightly themes, I find it hard to envision you sining "Do, a dear, a female dear." Do you have a cruise group that you sail with annually? I usually cruise with family or random groups, but I don't have a consistent crew to cruise with. Out of everyone we sail with, I always love cruising the most!

@euroguy That makes so much sense! I didn't even think about the closed loop vs open loop analogy @Old Cruiser. Also, if you are willing to make all of that extra effort to hop on the ship via Bimini and pay all of those extra costs, you might as well just find another cruise itinerary that departs from the same port. Missing out on an entire cruise vacation due to flight issues is just awful. I hope you made the most of it somehow and enjoyed Tampa at least. That's disappointing for sure. After all of this mishap, did you get any sort of reimbursement from the airline?

@FJB I'm so glad you shared your perspective! The little guys are being pushed to the side and even those necessary occupations like plumbing/electric/automotive/air conditioning aren't accessible as they once were. I don't know how to do any of those occupations, but if my AC breaks, I don't want to wait 72 hours for someone to come out and fix it because that's how long it will take until a technician is available. Our society pushes all of these "upper level" careers, but no one knows how to do anything for themselves anymore. I'm one of those people that actually can't change their oil or a tire, and that's honestly a shame. We should encourage and support all careers, including smaller mom and pop retailers because without them it wouldn't be the same! These are essential occupations.

@FJB I guess Turkey Hill is a northeastern thing! I do think they likely private label this stuff and we have all tried without realizing it at some point. I'm all about quality at an affordable price. I have been impressed with most cruise lines' ice cream if I'm being honest. I'm not much of an ice cream connoisseur but as long as the flavors are tasty and the ice cream is creamy, it's hard to dislike. I may get some slack for this one, but I prefer the ice cream made without tons of preservatives/artificial flavors/artificial colors/artificial sweeteners. The fresher product with higher quality ingredients does make for a better product.

@Woody14 I would imagine it's fun to travel with others who participate in the themed nights! I guess you could say I don't participate, but I do enjoy the parties. I love the white night too. It's pretty easy to wear white and stay up late for a pool deck party. It's cool to see everyone wearing the same color. I love the ABBA music, but I don't want to sing it. It almost sounds like you cruise with a karaoke crowd! Are you and your crew a karaoke gang? Now I can't get the ABBA songs out of my mind.

@Jim Lamb That's a great question. Based on the local insecurity, I would hope that cruise lines highly consider rerouting away from Haiti. RCL should put its guests first and Coco Cay would be a really great alternative. I think the chances of RCL rerouting would be pretty high. Since this is all sort of recent news, I would imagine that RCL would reach out to you in the coming weeks to address the issue, potentially with an itinerary update. Keep us posted if/when that happens! @kefthecruiser I completely agree with that.

@Mavis Your cruise is coming up shortly! Which CCL ship will you be cruising on? CCL was recently in the spotlight for news released about its mobility scooter policy. https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-line-clarifies-policy-after-misunderstanding/125800 It's worth reading up on! I hope you have a lovely cruise, and that you are able to feel comfortable and confident cruising while using your power wheelchair during your sailing! Like you said, no hills on a cruise ship. It's pretty flat ground and smooth sailing!

@Willie This sounds so fun! I have noticed a few people on the boards commenting about upcoming cruises with Enchanted Princess. Will this be your first time on the ship? Will you be cruising a Western or Eastern Caribbean itinerary? How does a singles cruise work? Are only singles welcome aboard this itinerary? Enchanted Princess is a pretty large ship for a singles-only experience! I have yet to cruise solo so I'm very curious how it all works.

@LukeJ That's very true. Life is more than money and income. Clearly, Bar Harbor agrees with this statement and prioritizes its local community over outsiders. That's how it should be! Heritage and culture should be held as scared and can easily become tainted. The area isn't saying no to cruisers completely! There is still opportunity to visit Bar Harbor via cruise ship. It just has to be a smaller ship.

@Michelle S. That's right! It's such a shame Bar Harbor will be limiting guests, but I'm not surprised. Things like this happen over time. Like you said, there are plenty of other nearby options cruise lines will choose instead! @Woody14 I guess Bar Harbor is becoming a boutique port, more exclusive. I will have to book on a smaller ship if I want to be able to visit via cruise. Otherwise, I will just have to fly to see the area's beauty!

@LukeJ At least I'm not alone! My husband loves Amazon prime. He has a membership for all of the Amazon things, and I just avoid all interaction with all Amazon products. I'm not going to lie it's so convenient and almost addicting, but I don't support the premise. We even have our photos linked to the unlimited storage, but I don't like that idea either. Eventually, Amazon will charge and up the monthly cost to store your photos there. That means everyone will have to pay whatever Amazon decides to access their personal photos. That's just insane and displays the lots of control that the Amazon can have over people. Most people just don't know how to live life without it!

@euroguy That's a great cost! Any cruiser cruising with CCL out of Port Canaveral should absolutely consider using this service. I would absolutely use it after flying into Orlando; it's quite a distance to the port from the airport! Lyft/Uber is at least double each way. It's also worth mentioning that CCL's transport is reliable and will ensure you get onboard regardless of any hiccups along the way. There is the Brightline tram now that runs up and down the eastern part of the state. I have heard talks about an extension to the port. These are the current routes for the Brightline. https://www.gobrightline.com/train-stations/fl/orlando

@LukeJ I value what you are saying here. Don't get my wrong; I rely on the large stores for many things. I try to balance my shopping and spending, avoiding Amazon at all costs unlike most of my friends and family. That whole Amazon Prime operation has destroyed much of the in-store shopping experience. Most of my friends have groceries/goods delivered to their home the same day or via 2-day shipping. We as a society are all about instant gratification; we need it now! I can't imagine the expectations of the next generations.

@Grumpa54 Thanks for sharing! I would certainly appreciate you sharing any additional news you find out. This itinerary has some other great stops, as if all else fails at least you have those other fabulous stops! Have you done an itinerary like this before? Thankfully, there is some time before you cruise out. Things could still change in the interim. This is an awesome supporting article! In fact you may be cruising to Bar Harbor after all @Rlafer! I love how on the ball you are about the cruise industry and your upcoming itinerary. Is this your first time cruising with NCL?

@Woody14 Thanks for that. What are some of your favorite themed nights? The white nights and the 80's nights always tend to be a favorite across the board. Do you typically dress up for the occasions? I try to plan an outfit that follows the theme, but I won't go out of my way to wear a costume. The parties can be lively and seeing others dressed for the occasion can be so fun! I also love a good piano bar and the themed music that is associated depending on the evening's theme.

@pablo Will you be cruising alone or with another guest in your stateroom? If it's possible to share this wine package, it could be worthwhile for you and the secondary guest! If you enjoy drinking other drinks more than wine, this probably isn't the best choice for you. This "Cruise the Vineyards" package is really meant for those that love wine above all. I prefer wine more than all other alcoholic options so this would be a package for me. How long is the cruise itinerary you are looking into?

@LukeJ Everything seems to be mass produced nowadays but there are many flaws in this system we have created as a society! All small businesses really struggle to keep up with the mega companies and stay competitive. The cost of goods has gone up and people are looking for better prices to stay afloat in this economy. The housing prices have truly skyrocketed! Local mom and pop shops have to charge a bit more, but the quality is surely better and fresher. It's better to support smaller businesses when possible, but if you are on a tight budget, it can be hard to do. Society is starting to catch on to this dilution of quality for services and goods. I just hope we can get back to a place where we better support smaller businesses.

@Grumpa54 When did you cruise this itinerary on Norwegian Breakaway? I'm very curious to hear if your cruise will make a stop inn Bar Harbor! I would imagine if you itinerary stops there so will @Rlafer's cruise. It would be a shame to skip, but there is plenty on both of those lovely ships! An extra sea day doesn't appeal to most, but it could be worse. I have seen cruises that sail to nowhere do to poor weather. That's such a shame, but you have to stay safe! What day does this itinerary stop at Bar Harbour?

@euroguy Thanks for this awesome review of your experience at Port Canaveral! Since this port is a bit smaller than some of the other major Florida cruise ports, like Fort Lauderdale and Miami, I think the process is much better in comparison. I'm glad to hear it all went so smoothly for you. I have had both experiences at the port, and I think it almost depends on the day! The fact that you get priority embarkation and disembarkation really helps with the transition on and off of the ship. As someone who doesn't have those benefits, I see a lag in the process, but I'm willing to wait patiently if the process is organized. If the process is disorganized, I get pretty aggravated. How was the cost of the CCL bus service? The one downside to flying into Orlando is the distance to the port. I wish that the two were closer! If you didn't take the shuttle, I would imagine the car service to and from the port would have cost a pretty penny.

@TV Don This isn't the first time I have heard this! Those that have tried HAL usually love it. The typical negative thing I hear is that the line is not very kid-friendly in comparison to others. I think I would love to cruise HAL, but for now I have been cruising with my young family. Thanks for sharing your valuable perspective. Sometimes all we see are the negative reviews! Fort the quality of experience you get with HAL, I think it's worth the price difference. Have you cruised any other lines and enjoyed them more than HAL?